Latch device



Sept. 28, 1948. E. N. JACQBIK 2,450,145

LATCH DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 7, 1946 rd 50in 5 Sept. 28, 1948. E. JACOB! v 2,450,145

LATCH DEVICE Filed 001;. '7, 1946 s Sheebs-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 28, 1948 LATCH DEVICE Edward N. Jacobi, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application October '7, 1946, Serial No. 701,679

12 Claims.

This invention relates to latch devices and refers particularly to push button actuated latche of the type especially adapted for use on glove compartments of automobiles.

One of the objects of this invention is to simplify the construction and reduce the overall dimensions of a latch device of this character.

Another object of this invention is to provide a latch device having a sliding bolt and push button actuated means for retracting the same so designed and constructed that the pressure applied to the push button is not transmitted to the bolt, and therefore, does not increase the wear on the bolt or interfere with free movement thereof.

Another object of this'invention is to provide an improved manner of limiting the spring propelled projection of the bolt, so as to eliminate the possibility of having the bolt project beyond its proper position and engage the striker squarely with it fiat side instead of with its inclined end portion.

A further object of this invention is to provide a latch device of the character described in which the push button may consist of a simple tubular stamping or a lock cylinder, and in which either type of push button may be readily substituted for the other.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a latch device of the character described which is sufficiently rugged to withstand the relatively hard usage to which it i subjected, and at the same time may be produced at less cost than latch devices of this nature heretofore available.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this'invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of part substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of this invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the latch device of this invention, said view being taken from the top of the latch device and having parts thereof in elevation;

Figure 2 is a front view of the latch device with its cap and push button removed to illustrate partioularly the sliding bolt and the, manner of retaining and retracting the same, said view showing the parts in their positions with the bolt projected to its operative position;

Figure 3 i a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the parts in the positions they occupy when the bolt is retracted; Y

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken through Figure 3 on the plane of line 4-4;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the various parts of the latch device in their proper order of assembly;

Figure 6 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in longitudinal section; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the non-locking type push button which may be substituted for the lock cylinder shown in Figure 5.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numeralsindicate like parts throughout several views, .the numeral Ill designates the body of the latch device which is preferably a die casting having a barrel-like main portion I I and sidewise projecting attaching ears H2 at the front end thereof. These ear are apertured to receive cap screws or other fastening mean by which the housing is securable to the inn-er face of a glove compartment door.

The barrel portion II of the body has a longitudinal bore l3 opening to its front end but closed at its rear by an end wall M. A transverse slot i5 extends through the rear end portion of the body in'open communication with the bore l3. In this slot is a sliding bolt 16 propelled by a spring l'i to an operative position projecting from the mouth of the slot. The projecting end of the bolt has its rear face beveled or cut off at an angle to provide an inclined surface engageable with a striker (not shown) in a manner well known.

The bolt and the slot in which it operates are of non-uniform cross section to assure against improper assembly and to provide narrow guides and guideways by which the bolt is guided for free sliding straight line motion. The spring I1 is disposed in a chamber I8 formed conjointly by a longitudinal recess IS in the back of the bolt and a correspondingly located transverse recess 29 in the end wall 14 of the body.

.A forwardly projecting lug 2| at the bottom of the recess 20 and a rearwardly projecting lug 22 on the bolt at the top of its reces- I9 engage the ends of the spring so that the spring yieldingly projects the bolt upwardly out of the slot 15. Inasmuch as the lugs 2| and 22 are in line it follows that the bolt can be inserted into the slot It only from the top.

The bolt is held in the bodyby a cam lever indicated generally by the numeral 23, mounted in the body of the latch in the manner to be described and projecting into a recess 24 in the front of the bolt. Attention is particularly directed to the fact that the bottom wall 25 of this recess 24 is a planar surface normal to the direc-' tion of sliding motion of the bolt and inasmuch a the transverse slot l in which the bolt slides is normal to the axis of the bore [3, all portions of the surface 25 are parallel to the axis of the bore.

The surface 25 constitutes a shoulder or abutment against which the cam lever engages, not only to hold the bolt assembled with the body, but also to enable retraction of the bolt by rocking motion of the cam lever. To enable such rocking motion of the cam lever, its hub 26, which is quite elongated is freely slidably and rotatably received in an elongated socket 21 in the body of the latch device. This socket opens to the front end of the body and has open communication with the side of the bore 13 so a to permit the cam lever to be inserted from the front of the bore.

A coil spring 28 having its ends received in spring sockets in the end wall I4 and the inner end of the cam lever hub yieldingly urges the cam lever forwardly to maintain the same in contact with the inner end of a push button actuator 29 slidable in the bore I3.

The engagement between the cam lever and the push button actuator is a fiat surface-tosurface contact between the inner end of the actuator and the front face of the cam lever arm 30, and as will be readily apparent, this engagement between the cam lever and the push button actuator enables the spring to yieldingly project the actuator outwardly to its outer limit of movement defined by the engagement of a stop 31 on the actuator contacting the underside of a cap 32 secured to the front of the housing.

The cap 32 is a stamping suitably shaped to cover the mouth of the bore l3 and also the elongated socket 21. A hole 33 in the cap permits the push button actuator to project therethrough. The cap is secured in place by four tangs 34 struck over the opposite edges of flanges 35 projecting from the body and lying substantially in the plane of the ears l2.

In the free position of the parts, that is when the push button actuator is projected to its outer-most position, the arm 30 of the cam lever projects into the recess 24 a distance sufficient to hold the bolt against displacement. Upon depression of the push button actuator the arm 38 of the cam lever enters farther into the recess '24, but inasmuch as the surface 25 with which the arm 30 of the cam lever engages is parallel to the axis of the push button actuator such further entry of the cam lever arm into the recess 24 is incapable of introducing forces into the bolt.

However, through the provision of a stationary cam 36 on the body at the bottom of its socket 21 and a complementary cam surface 3'! on the arm 30 of the cam lever, inward bodily motion of the cam lever produced by pressure on the push button actuator translates the longitudinal inward motion of the actuator into retrac- .tion of the bolt. This follows from the fact that the cams 3'6 and 31 cause the cam lever to rock about the axis of its elongated hub as it is pushed in by the depression of the push button actuator.

The outer extremity of the arm 30 has a substantially cylindrical ball end 38 which contacts the shoulder or abutment 25 during the rocking motion of the cam lever to retract the bolt. The provision of this ball end reduces the friction between the cam lever and the bolt and assures a smooth bolt retracting action.

In the free position of the parts when the bolt is projected to its operative striker engaging position, the limit of its movement in this direction is defined by having the medial portion of the cam lever arm 30 interposed betwen the shoulder or abutment 25 on the bolt and a shoulder 33 on the body. The shoulder 39 may be a portion of the side wall of the bore I3.

Inasmuch as a quick closure of the door on which the latch device is mounted, results in an exceedingly fast snapping of the bolt to its operative position, it is desirable to relieve the ball end 38 of the hammer blow which would result from the shoulder 25 striking it as the parts come to rest, and to this end the medial portion of the lever arm 30 has a slightly raised pad 40 positioned to be engaged by the shoulder 25 in the final stages of bolt projection. Thus, as clearly shown in Figure 2, the pad 40 takes the hammer blow of the bolt coming to rest, thereby relieving the ball end 38 of this shock, which by virtue of its required shape and size cannot be as rugged as the medial portion of the cam lever The push button actuator 29 may be a lock cylinder having key controlled tumblers 4|, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, for locking the same in a position of rotation in which it cannot be depressed, or the actuator may be of the non-- locking type in which case it is merely a pressed steel tube 42 with its front end closedby a cap 43, as shown in Figure 7.

If the actuator is a lock cylinder, its outermost tumbler provides the stop 3| to limit spring propelled outward projection. The remaining tumblers 4!, all of which are retractable by the insertion of a proper key into the lock cylinder, project into a tumbler groove 44 in the locked position of the cylinder. In this position of rotation, depression of the cylinder is blocked by a lug 45 which extends in from the wall of the bore 13 at the inner end thereof.

The lug 45 is received in a bayonet slot 46 in the inner end of the cylinder and collides with the ends of the arcuate portion of the bayonet slot to limit rotation of the lock cylinder, and rides on the side of the arcuate portion of the slot to prevent depression of the cylinder unless it is turned to an unlocked position aligning the longitudinal portion of the bayonet slot with the lug 45. When such alignment has been eifected, the tumblers 4i| align with another tumbler groove 41 thus allowing the key to be withdrawn and the cylinder held against rotation from this unlocked position.

It will be noted that the mouth of the tumbler groove 41 is increased in depth as at 48. This increased depth accommodates the long tumbler which provides the stop 3|, during depression of the lock cylinder to retract the bolt.

The tube 42 which constitutes the main part of the non-locking actuator shown in Figure 7 has a tang struck out from its side to provide the stop 3| and its inner end has a bayonet slot 49 therein. The arcuate portion of the bayonet slot merely allows the actuator to be turned during the insertion and removal while its longitudinal part accommodates the lug 45 during depression of the actuator. To allow the non-locking push button actuator to be inserted and removed, the cap 32 has a gate 50 opening to its hole 38 of a size to permit passage of the stop tang 3|, and

to preclude realignment of the stop tang 3| with the gate after assembly by rotation of the actuator in one direction, a tooth 5| projects from the inner end of the tube 42 to engage behind the arm of the cam lever.

This tooth has an inclined edge so positioned that after the tube has been inserted far enough to engage the stop tang 3| under the cap 32 and to dispose the lug in the arcuate part of the bayonet slot 49, rotation of the tube causes the inclined edge of the tooth to ride onto and cam the lever 30 down to snap back up when the tube 42 has been turned to a position at which further rotation of the tu'beis arrested by the end of the arcuate part of the bayonet slot colliding with the lug 45.

Thus, in its free projected position, when the lug 45 is not in, though aligned with the longitudinal part of the bayonet slot, the tube 42 is held against turning from this position at which the longitudinal part of its bayonet slot aligns with the lug 45 by the engagement of the lug with the adjacent end of the arcuate part of the slot and by the engagement of the straight edge of the tooth 5| with the side of the cam lever.

An inturned lip 52 on the bottom of the stamped tube 42 overlies the top of the cam arm 30 to provide a suriace-to-surface engagement therebetween.

If it is desired to remove the non-locking type actuator to permit substitution of a lock cylinder, the tube 42 is pushed in as far as it will go. This causes the arm 30 of the cam lever to rock to a position retracting the bolt and effects engagement of a narrow ledge 53 on the arm 30 with a shoulder 54 on the bolt. With the parts in these positions, the application of pressure on the outer end of the :bolt will pinch its shoulder 54 against the ledge '53 on the cam lever to thereby hold the cam lever from being projected outwardly by its spring 28. The tube 42 can be then pulled out to disengage its tooth 5| from behind the arm 30 allowing the tube to be rotated to bring its stop tang 3| in line with the gate in the cap.

Inasmuch as latch devices of this type are often sent out by the manufacturer without either type of push button actuator in place, it is desirable to provide means for holding the elongated hub 26 of the cam lever against tipping out of its socket 21. This is conveniently accomplished by a finger 55 struck down from the edge of the hole 33 in the cap 32 in a position to overlie the adjacent end portion of the elongated hub 26.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides a simple, compact latch device especially suitable for use in securing the doors of glove compartments in automobiles closed; that by virtue of the novel way in which the bolt is held in place there is no possibility of having it project beyond its intended position so that it will always present its inclined cam surface to the striker plate and thus obviate the possibility of damage caused by having the flat side of the bolt hit the striker plate squarely; that the novel manner in which depression of the push button actuator is translated into retraction of the bolt relieves the bolt from undue wear by precluding the application of push button pressure onto the bolt; that all movable parts are held against rattling by the two springs employed in the latch; and finally that by virtue of its novel design and construction, the latch device of this invention lends itself well to low cost mass production.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A latch device of the character described comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot communicating with the inner end of the bore; a sliding bolt in said slot spring urged to project therefrom for engagement with a keeper; a lever mounted in the body to rock about an axis parallel to the bore and to move bodily along said axis; a connection between the lever and the bolt whereby rocking movement of the lever in one direction retracts the bolt; an actuator slidable in the bore; a spring yieldingly urging the lever bodily toward and into engagement with the inner end of the actuator whereby said lever is bodily movable along its pivotal axis by depression of the actuator; and cam means reacting between the body and the lever for translating such bodily movement of the lever into rocking movement thereof in the direction to retract the bolt.

A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever member pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a connection between the lever member and the latch bolt whereby the latch bolt is retained in the slot and rocking movement of the lever member in one direction retracts the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore; and means for translating inward axial motion of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever member in the direction to retract the bolt. s

3. A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a transverse abutment on the latch bolt engageable by the free end portion of the lever upon rocking movement of the lever in one direction to effect retraction of the latch bolt; a shoulder in the body against which a medial portion of the lever engages when the lever is freely propelled by the bolt spring so that a portion of the lever is confined between said shoulder and the abutment on the latch bolt to hold the latch bolt in its slot; a push button actuator slidable in the bore; and means for translating inward axial motion of the actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction to retract the latch bolt.

A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a transverse shoulder on the latch bolt; a shoulder at the bottom of the bore in the body; the medial portion of the lever lying between said shoulders to limit spring propelled outward projection of thelatch bolt in its operative position to thus retain the bolt in its slot; a ball-end driver at the outer free end portion of the lever engageable with the transverse shoulder on the bolt to retract the same upon rocking movement of the lever in one direction,

7 said ball-end driver being clear of the shoulder on the bolt in the spring projected operative position of the bolt so'that said ball-end driver is not subjected to the hammer blow resulting from quick outward projection of the bolt upon sudden release thereof from retracted position; a push button actuator slidable in the bore; and means fortranslating inward sliding motion of the actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction toretract the bolt.

5. A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a wide transverse shoulder on the bolt; a narrow longitudinal ledge on the bolt; a shoulder on the body; part of the lever lying between the said shoulders to limit spring propelled projection of the bolt beyond a predetermined distance; the engagement of the lever with the transverse shoulder on the bolt enabling retraction of the bolt by rocking movement of the lever in one direction, said bolt having limited movement parallel to the axis of the bore without disturbing its operative engagement with the shoulder on the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore and holding the lever in place; means for translating inward axial motion of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever in said direction to retract the bolt; a connection between the actuator and the lever whereby the lever may be pushed against the bolt;

and an abutment on the side of the lever facing the bolt engageable behind said narrow longitudinal ledge on the bolt by such inward movement of the lever, said abutment on the lever being so placed that engagement thereof behind the narrow longitudinal ledge on the bolt can be effected only when the bolt is retracted and being so positioned that inward pressure on the end of the bolt will pinch the narrow longitudinal ledge on the bolt against said abutment on the lever to hold the lever against displacement while the push button actuator is removed.

- 6. A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever member pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a connection between the lever and the bolt whereby rocking movement of the lever in one direction retracts the bolt, said connection allowing bodily movement of the lever in a direction parallel with the axis of the bore without introducing force into the bolt; a spring yieldingly projecting the lever axially of the bore and away from the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore and having its inner end bearing against the lever to thus retain the lever in position against the ou ward thrust of its spring; and means for translating inward axial motion of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction to retract the bolt.

7. A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a connection between the lever and the bolt whereby the rocking movement of the lever in one direction retracts the bolt, said connection allowing free bodily movement of the lever in a direction parallel with the axis of the bore; a spring yieldingly projecting the lever axially of the bore and away from the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore and having its inner end bearing against the lever to thus retain the lever in position against the outward thrust of its spring; and means independent of the bolt for translating inward axial motion of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction necessary to retract the bolt.

8. A push button type latch device of the character described, comprising: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled latch bolt slidable in said transverse slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to and alongside the bore; a connection between the lever and the bolt whereby the rocking movement of the lever in one direction retracts the bolt, said connection allowing bodily movement of the lever in a direction parallel with the axis of the bore; a spring yieldingly projecting the lever axially of the bore and away from the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore and having its inner end bearing against the lever to thus retain the lever in position against the outward thrust of its spring, and so that inward axial motion of the push button actuator efiects a corresponding movement of the lever; and cam means cooperating between the lever and the body for translating such inward motion of the lever into rocking movement thereof in the direction necessary to retract the bolt. 7

9. In a latch device of the character described: a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a spring propelled bolt slidable in said transverse slot and having a socket facing and accessible from the open end of the bore, one wall of said socket providing a transverse shoulder on the bolt; the body having a longitudinal recess alongside the bore and opening thereto; a lever member having an elongated hub slidably and rotatably received in said recess with the arm of the lever member disposed in said socket in the bolt, said socket being deep enough to allow movement of the lever member axially of the bore and its elongated hub; a push button actuator slidable axially in the bore; a spring yieldingly urging the lever member outwardly toward the mouth of the bore and against the inner end of the actuator whereby the actuator limits outwardly movement of the lever member to an amount insufiicient to disengage its arm from the socket in the bolt and whereby said spring also serves to urge the push button actuator outwardly; and cam means for translating inward axial motion of the lever member produced by depression of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever member about its hub, in the direction necessary to retract the bolt.

10. In a latch device of the character described; a body having a bore and a transverse slot in open communication with the inner end of the bore; a bolt slidable in said slot and inserted therein through one end thereof; a lever member having a hub; the body having a bearing socket for the hub of the lever member alongside the bore and opening to the end of the body at the mouth of the bore, said lever member being insertable into position from said end of the body; means providing an interengaging connection between the lever member and the bolt whereby the bolt is held assembled with the body by the positioning of the lever member, and whereby rocking movement of the lever member about its hub in one direction retracts the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore and having a part engageable with the lever member to hold the same against displacement from the body; and means for translating inward axial motion of the push button actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction necessary to retract the bolt.

11. A push button type latch device comprising: a body having a bore and a slot transverse to and in open communication with the bore; a springpressed bolt slidable in the slot; a lever pivoted in the body to rock on an axis parallel to the bore; a ball end bolt contactor on the pivoted lever; an abutment on the bolt engageable by said ball end contactor and 50 positioned that rocking movement of the lever in one direction effects retraction of the bolt, the bolt sprin at all times tending to rock the lever in the opposite direction; a shoulder in the body positioned to be engaged by a medial portion of the lever upon movement thereof by the bolt spring so that the spring propelled projection of the bolt is limited by the engagement of the lever with said shoulder; a pad on the medial portion of the lever opposite that engageable with the shoulder and positioned to be engaged by the abutment on the bolt during the final range of spring propelled motion of the bolt to lift the ball end contactor off the abutment on the bolt and thus relieve the ball end of shock resulting from abrupt arresting of springpropelled motion of the bolt; a push button actuator slidable in the bore; and means for translating inward axial motion of the actuator into rocking movement of the lever in the direction to retract the bolt.

12. A push button type latch device comprising: a spring-pressed bolt constrained to linear sliding motion; a cam lever mounted to rock about a fixed axis and having its free end engaging the bolt to retract the same upon rocking movement of the lever in one direction, said lever being bodily movable along the axis about which it rocks; cam means co-acting with the lever for imparting rocking motion to the lever in the direction to retract the bolt upon bodily movement of the lever in one direction along the axis about which it rocks; a spring yieldingly urging the lever bodily along said axis in the opposite direction; a push button actuator slidable alon a path parallel to the axis about which the cam lever rocks, the inner end of the push button actuator bearing on the cam lever and receiving the reaction of the spring acting on the cam lever so that the cam lever and push button actuator normally move in unison; means for movably holding the push button actuator in place and limiting outward movement thereof produced by the spring acting upon the cam lever, said means being disabled to free the push button actuator for disassembly from the latch structure upon rotation of the push button actuator to a predetermined position; means for preventing rotation of the push button actuator to said position, including an abutment on the actuator engaging behind a portion of the cam lever, disengagement of said abutment from the cam lever necessitating outward movement of the actuator with respect to the cam lever; and interengaging means on the cam lever and the bolt adapted to be engaged by complete depression of the push button actuator and adapted to hold the cam lever against movement by its spring upon the application of pressure on the bolt whereby the actuator may be withdrawn with respect to the cam lever to enable the same to be turned to its position permitting disassembly.

EDWARD N. JAC'OBI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 40 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

